Google to Launch Groupon Competitor [EXCLUSIVE] — Google is preparing launch Google Offers, the search giant's Groupon competitor, Mashable has learned. We have the documents to prove it. One of our sources has sent us a confidential fact sheet straight from the Googleplex about the company's new group buying service.

Why Is Eric Schmidt Stepping Down at Google? — Was Eric Schmidt pushed or did he jump? Both. According to close advisors, the Google C.E.O. was upset a year ago when co-founder Larry Page sided with his founding partner, Sergey Brin, to withdraw censored searches from China.

An update from the Chairman — When I joined Google in 2001 I never imagined—even in my wildest dreams—that we would get as far, as fast as we have today. Search has quite literally changed people's lives—increasing the collective sum of the world's knowledge and revolutionizing advertising in the process.

Blocking the Skype Toolbar in Firefox — The Skype Toolbar for Firefox is an extension that detects phone numbers in web pages, and re-renders them as a clickable button that can be used to dial the number using the Skype desktop application. This extension is bundled with the Skype application …

iPad 2 will have the same cameras as the iPod touch — Oh, hello. We've done some digging in the latest SDK it looks like Apple's much rumored second-generation iPad will not feature some fancy 5 megapixel camera, but will instead shoot your flicks and take your pics with something close to a 1 megapixel camera.

Tweets Hit Techmeme, Bloggers in a Tizzy — For years, Techmeme has been considered the tech news website of record. A quick glance at the site, which aggregates tech news headlines from across the web, will tell you the topics that people are discussing, and who is discussing them, at any moment in time.

You asked for it: XBMC for AppleTV2, iPad, iPhone4. — The XBMC team is proud to present our first ARM-based release, and it's a big one. Scott Davilla, with the help of Edgar (gimli) Hucek and Zeljko (amet) Ametovic and several other developers and testers, is finally ready to pull the curtain off of his fun little secret.

Can Employers Fire Over Facebook Gaffes? — Facebook gaffes that can cause trouble in the workplace aren't unique to drunken college students any more. As more companies—and their workers—tap into the world of blogs, Twitter and Facebook, employers are tripping over legal potholes in social media.

New evidence supports Oracle's case against Google — Google faces a steep challenge in its defense against Oracle's lawsuit over seven Java patents and some copyrighted material. More than five months after Oracle's complaint, Google appears unable to countersue Oracle over patent infringement …

Google search and search engine spam — January brought a spate of stories about Google's search quality. Reading through some of these recent articles, you might ask whether our search quality has gotten worse. The short answer is that according to the evaluation metrics that we've refined …

Verizon's First iPhone Commercial: It Begins — Well that didn't take long. Here it is, the first Verizon iPhone commercial. — As you can see, the focus is on clock — the first one on 11:59 — implying that people in all different walks of life are waiting for something.

What a Stolen Credit Card Costs on the Digital Black Market — Cybercriminals have gotten so sophisticated recently that their operations are almost indistinguishable from the legit businesses they rip off. Here's a “menu” of services offered by cybercriminals, including working physical credit cards …

Mass shipments of iPad 2 now expected in April — Although Apple was rumored to launch the iPad in February or March, a new report from Digitimes claims Apple's next-gen tablet will hit the mass shipment stage in April of this year. In addition, Apple has upped their amount of PCB suppliers …

Zero Day blogger Dancho Danchev: he's back — Boy, Dancho, you had us worried. — Our dear cybersecurity expert Dancho Danchev, who mysteriously disappeared back when the leaves were only begin to turn colors here in New York City, is back in the saddle. (And doing just fine, thank you.)

Tech Podcasts from Every Angle — TWiT.tv covers the latest in news, privacy, hacking, security, plus reviews of smartphones, laptops, tablets, and wearables. If it has a chip, Leo Laporte and friends have a podcast on it.

PSD2 Compliance in Zoho Books — The Revised Payment Services Directive, also known as the PSD2, is a set of regulatory guidelines laid down by the European Union (EU) for finance, banking, and payment service companies.

Google Fi - a phone plan, by Google — We felt that most phone plans just weren't made with you in mind. So that's why we built Google Fi with features that real people actually want. Click to learn more.